There are many many many ways to prepare pork products. American bacon is different than that in most of the rest of the world, as far as I know. American bacon usually comes from a different primal cut (the belly), as opposed to the loin. Then, there are many different ways to cure the meat--various combinations of salting, drying and smoking, which lead to all the different kinds of bacon. Spain is famous for its bacon products, whose preparations differ from region to region for even the "same" product. Italy is as well. Pancetta is Italian, and it is an exception in that it is also prepared from the belly, not the loin. They also make pancetta in Spain. The high fat content of the belly meat is what makes it great for use in a carbonara.

Oddly enough, i brought home some bacon from work, and will be pan frying it up with some sliced roma tomatoes in the morning. Seasoned with garlic and salt, with French bread to mop up the juices. I can barely believe I once dated a vegetarian, giving up meat in the process. Just the other day, I made a friend drool by describing my favorite dish to make, using lamb chops. His next mistake was to ask what i do with avocados. I have a bacon, avocado and ground beef lazagna that another friend dubbed, "orgasm on a plate."/she is a very open young lady.